This invention relates to a method of fabricating a crystal thin plate under a micro-gravity environment.
Crystals of metal oxides, semiconductors, etc. have been hitherto grown from a liquid phase. Examples of such crystal forming methods include a crystal pulling method for forming a silicon semiconductor single crystal of or a metal oxide single crystal, a melt growth method for forming a semiconductor such as GaAs using a crucible and a floating-zone method for forming a silicon single crystal or a compound semiconductor without using a crucible.
One problem of the above conventional methods is that it is difficult to obtain a high quality crystal having no defects. Another problem is that a relatively long time is required for the production of crystals.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of producing a high quality crystal thin plate within a short period of time.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method of fabricating a crystal thin plate of a substance capable of forming a crystal, which includes the steps of:
forming a molten layer of the above substance on a support; and
cooling the molten layer in the atmosphere of an inert gas or in vacuum at a rate of 10-300xc2x0 C. per second under a micro-gravity environment to solidify and crystallize the molten layer. The cooling is performed by contacting the support with a cooling medium.